Joren grinned at Kel. She smoothed her face and waited for him to strike the first blow. If she did, he would blame her, and she couldn't deny that it wasn't her. However, if he punched her, then it would not be said in so many words, but Raoul would know it wasn't her. She rolled her eyes mentally, realising that they hadn't matured since their page years.
He raised his arm. Kel waited expectantly for the attack to begin.
Joren's blue eyes were darting around the corridor. Still, Kel waited.
Voices were heard coming down the hallway. "If any of you dare say that again, I'll melt your eyeballs." Kel started – was that Neal's menacing tone?
Joren smirked at her again. She sighed in annoyance. Why was he taking so long?
Neal rounded the corner. Kel was about to shove Joren out of the way and talk to her friend, when Joren jabbed her in the stomach. An aching pain filled it. Since she couldn't double over, she stumbled forward. Right on top of Joren. He grabbed her, holding her upright, and pressed their lips together.
Shock filled Kel's mind. She tried to push him off her. Somebody's footsteps ran away.
'Neal's,' she thought grimly. 'We've been set up good and proper this time.'
Fed up, she rammed her knee upwards and stormed off.
"Neal?" Kel rapped on Neal's door, adjacent to Alanna's. "Neal?"
He opened the door reluctantly. "What?"
"About what happened-"He sighed, fiddling with his latch. "Look, Kel, it's your life! I'm not going to tell you what you should and shouldn't do. I just wish you'd told me before I went denying it to Vulture and Gorilla. They're probably laughing at me right now."
"Not just you, Neal, they're laughing at both of us. We were set up." She detailed the events from her point of view. When she'd finished, his emerald eyes glittered dangerously.
"I'm going to kill them," he promised.
She caught his arm as he pushed the door open. "No, Neal!" He turned to her, brow furrowed. "It won't do any good."
"No, Kel. He'll do it again. There's no way I'm letting him get away with it this time. He's done enough of that sort of thing."
The only thing of that manner which came to mind was the stable fight, a few years back. "What do you mean?" she asked warily.
His face was guarded. "Nothing. But I'm going to sort him out."
Kel propelled him back into his room. "No, you don't."
"What?" His features were puzzled once more.
"This is my battle. Which I'm going to win, no matter what." She glared at him for a few moments before he threw his hands into the air and sat on his bed.
"You're impossible, you know that?" he told her.
"I do," she replied with a smile.
"Dare," Kel chose.
Merric grinned. It was much nicer when one of her friends smiled than when Joren did. There was no challenge in the smiles of her friends. No competition, or coldness. "I dare you, Squire Keladry, to kiss Squire Joren."
Neal rose angrily; Kel motioned him down. Only Neal knew of that morning's events. She wanted to keep it that way. When she thought about it, the timing was perfect. "I accept," she announced. Revenge would be sweet.